


Silver, White and Gold.

by swaneewhistleandkazoo



Series: Agents of Shield Finale. [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Faulty central heating, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Nightmares, Snow, post season 7 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swaneewhistleandkazoo/pseuds/swaneewhistleandkazoo
Summary: Playing in the snow.
Relationships: Alya Fitz & Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: Agents of Shield Finale. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1882555
Kudos: 21





	Silver, White and Gold.

He still has nightmares; about the Framework, about who he was in the Framework, and sometimes he wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.

Granted the nightmares are far less frequent now, since Alya was born he's barely had more than one every few months.

It helps that he doesn't let himself dwell on the nightmares so much anymore. Before, especially when he was imprisoned at Blue Raven Ridge shortly after he'd been freed from the Framework or during that terrible desperate year scrabbling to survive in space until Jemma had miraculously managed find him. Then, once he'd have managed to wrench free of his dark dreams he'd have spent hours staring up at the ceiling, unable to get back to sleep as his mind churned his failures and self-recriminations over and over like a rat gnawing on an old bone. 

Now, while the memories and images his brain conjures are still awful somehow he's able to let them go, let them flow like water away. Maybe it's because he's healed a bit in the years since or just learned a better coping mechanism, Maybe its because his fear that his future with Jemma was dead has been proven unfounded and their love for each other includes the worst parts of themselves, maybe its because they no longer officially work for SHIELD and the constant ever present danger is no longer looming over his head. 

Maybe its because they have a child now and raising a kid is simultaneously a hundred times more tiring and more rewarding than he'd ever thought it would be and he's just to exhausted to dream anymore. 

Whatever it is he's grateful. 

*

_There's gun held to the head of the woman he loves._

_And he's the one holding it._

_The part of Fitz that is still Fitz inside Leopold throws himself in impotent rage against the iron clad programming Aida restrained him with, trying to influence Leopold to stop, turn his course away from harming Jemma, to remember her but he's fighting a loosing battle._

_He knows, of course he knows he's dreaming, that Radcliffe is going to hit him the head with the butt of his gun and throw him through the portal out of this god-forsaken place with his apologies, telling him not to blame himself. That's everything in the end will turn out alright and he will wake up next to Jemma, their daughter sleeping in the next room and everything more or less right with the world again._

_But in those heartbeats between sleeping and waking when the gunshot sound he has no idea who pulls the trigger first._

_*_

Fitz jerks up, gasping and shivering in shock and fear, his laboured breathing settling as his gaze rests on the reassuring familiar dark shapes of their room in their house in Perthshire. 

Jemma is curled up next to him, limbs loose and languid, sleeping peacefully. A shuddery sigh of relief escapes from his chest as he lets himself just absorb the reassuring familiarity of her presence easing him, thankful that he hasn't woken her this time. When his heart has stopped thudding like a freight train and his breathing as slowed to a less panicked level he carefully extracts himself from their bed and pad barefoot downstairs to get himself some water. Shivering a little in his thin sleep t-shirt and plaid pyjama bottoms he could have put a dressing gown on but he's too distracted by his nightmare and besides he doesn't like wearing it. 

The air has an odd colder than normal chill to it which makes him frown a little in concern that the central heating might not be working as the clock on the landing softly chimes, seemingly respectful of the quiet of the night, the half hour. Alya's door is slightly a jar and he doesn't stop himself from looking in on her, the room dimly lit with a comfortingly warm glow of a nightlight and he can just glimpse the top of her head peaking out from the small army of soft toy's gifted from her delighted newly found out to be Uncles and Aunts. 

Smiling a little to himself recalling the Team's flabbergasted expressions when he and Jemma has showed up with a sleepy Alya and equally confused Piper and Flint he padded down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky step and crept into the kitchen. Reaching into the cupboard to retrieve a glass for his water he passively turned over the problem of the house being colder that usual in his mind the issue revealing itself to him when he turned to the sink to fill his glass with tap water. 

Out of the kitchen window he could see that their garden and the hills beyond it was covered in a thick layer of cotton wool like fresh snow, the silvery light of the moon turning the world into something magical, pure, clean and untouched beauty. Gasping in delight, nightmare forgotten he put his glass of half drunk water down on the counter as a buzz of school boy excitement fizzled up his spine. 

When they were in space they'd spent a lot of time teaching Alya about Earth. When they'd taught her about the weather one of the things she'd been most excited about was snow, every day since winter had started she'd looked out of the window in hope that its would have snowed.

_She's going to love this_ he mused to himself, feeling an enormous grin of anticipation spreading gleefully across his face. _They're going to build snowmen, have snowball fights, make snow angels, go sledding, do all of that winter fun stuff with Alya that he never got to do._

He's so distracted by the snow Jemma's warm arms encircling his chest make him jump a little, unlike him she has got the sense to put a dressing gown on and it feels so soft and warm through his thin t shirt. 

"Hey" She pressed a gentle gentle kiss into his shoulder "You alright?"

"Yeah" Distractedly he raised one hand to rest on top of hers resting on his left shoulder giving it a squeeze that communicated a lot of things in their wordless way. "Look Jemma, Snow!" 

"Yeah" She rested her chin on the slope of his shoulder, cheek pressed against his neck, her silky brown hair feathering against his skin. "Isn't it brilliant?"

"I'm glad we went shopping yesterday, we've got everything we'll need for a while cos it will be bloody madness at the shops today." For a moment his mind returns reluctantly to adult responsibilities for a moment. He'll have to shovel and grit the drive and maybe part of the road as well as its quite steep, but its ok he get to try out his new snow shovel and they can use the snow he moves to make an entire family of snowmen. "It just seems a shame to disturb it, it's so pretty." 

"Yeah"

For a moment they just stand there leaning against each other marvelling at the beauty of the untouched snow. His nightmare seems so insignificant now. 

Finally Jemma shivers, she's always felt the cold a little more than he has, she still has never returned his big blue hoodie she stole from him back in the Academy and they live together now. 

"Come on" She gave him a light squeeze "Come back to bed with me." 

Something in him perks up with interest, he's never not wanted to go back to bed with her even if its just to snuggle up together. 

"Ok" he acquiesce as he follows her, water and nightmare forgotten, out of the kitchen and towards the stairs "I just want to put the heating on for an extra hour this morning so its nice and warm for us when Alya gets us up in a few hours." 

She stops on the bottom stair, head titled slightly as she regarded him for a long moment with her warm brown eyes "You're such a good man." She told him softly after a long moment. 

"I'm not really, anyone would do that." 

"Yes you are and not everyone would" She replied insistently, he must have looked doubtful for a moment because she put her hands on her hips and glared warningly, teasingly at him. "You know I'm right. Agree with me Fitz or I'll put snow down the back of your shirt and in your boots."

She was right it was just his dark thoughts preying on him again and she knew his weakness. He shivered, the shirt he could deal with but he hated wet socks, raising his hands in surrender he agreed with her. 

"Good" She dropped a light kiss to his lips "I'm freezing" and she bolted up the stairs. 

Grinning to himself he fiddled with the dial for the heating for a moment, he might be an expert engineer but whoever installed their central heating was either a evil genius or a madman because he can't make heads or tails of their dammed central heating controls but eventually he manages to make it come on for an extra hour in the mornings, he hopes.

*

He's woken in the morning after a dreamless sleep but an far too over excited four year old cannonballing onto his stomach and possible removing his ability to father any more children. 

"Mamma! Daddy!!" Alya bounced ecstatically on his already bruised stomach and he did his best to hid his wince, her eye round with excitement "IT SNOWED!" 

"Really?" Jemma sat up and Alya snuggled into her chest for a moment before bouncing away clearly too full of energy to do anything calmly. 

"I don't believe you" He pretended to pull the duvet over his head again. 

"It's true Daddy!" Alya looked hilariously offended that he didn't believe her "I'll show you."

She grabbed his hand and tugged at him all of her four year old strength and he pretended that she'd managed to pull him out of bed and down the stairs with Jemma following them in her dressing gown.

"See!" Alya demanded, pointing out of the kitchen window to the winter wonderland outside, the pure snowy whiteness with the rays of golden sunlight twisting like flame setting the snow glistening like a million tiny stars in the cosmos. 

"Wow!" He hoped he sounded as amazed as he felt "You were right, Monkey!"

"I'm going outside!" Alya announced and lunged for the backdoor handle.

"No you're not" Jemma pounced, scoping her up "Not without getting dressed first and wearing shoes." 

"Aww" Alya wiggled out of her mothers grip and raced off upstairs, he and Jemma shared a amused glance with each other before for following her. After a quick change of clothing for them and slightly longer rescuing Alya from getting her head stuck in the arm of her jumper, she had yet to full master dressing by herself they all stood by the back door. 

"You ready, Monkey?" he teased her resting his hand on the door handle. 

"Uh huh" she was bouncing up and down again. 

"Alright" The door opened and she was off leaving perfect small foot prints in the untouched snow, squeaking in delight at this new world she was exploring. 

It was all worth it, in the end. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, its been snowing the last few days and this idea popped into my head. 
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Your comments and kudos are deeply appreciated.


End file.
